Moonlight that pierces me
by rhead-a-holyc
Summary: Viktor meets Luna on a corridor at Hogwarts.


**Moonlight that pierces me**

They hadn't been given a set curfew at Hogwarts like we were usually given at Durmstrang. It was almost as if Karkaroff wanted us to search through every inch of Hogwarts for its mysteries, except the other Durmstrang students were more than happy to remain in the ship unless it was necessary to leave.

I was wandering through the Hogwarts corridors which were so different from the darker Durmstrang ones. Usually, Durmstrang forewent the idea of showing off past achievements to the students who already went there, leaving that for when the few visitors that bothered to visit their castle. No one knew where they were, and no one bothered enough to find out so those visits were few and far between.

It didn't seem to be the same at Hogwarts. The armour, despite being exquisitely clean, looked like they had not been moved in decades. The trophy room held so many trophies that were placed as if an afterthought or like someone had simply been looking for a big enough space to stuff the trophy in somewhere.

Most of the castle was asleep right now, and the corridors were silent. Even the rumoured house elves that worked for Hogwarts were probably asleep due to the late hour. The emptiness made Hogwarts look like a ghost castle, which was a sharp contrast to the usual atmosphere within the castle while most of the students were awake. Durmstrang always felt the same. It didn't matter if the entire school was there, or if no one was there: there was always silence within the castle. Everyone preferred minding their own business, unless it would put them at an advantage.

It was something I wasn't particularly fond of at Durmstrang. Everyone had ignored my existence until I had become useful to them, until I had become famous for Quidditch. I gained many friends during and after my rise to fame, but I knew none of them were real, probably not even liking me despite their supposed friendship. They simply wanted the supposed advantages that came with associating with me.

Durmstrang took pride in their reputation, and the glory their students garnered for the academy through tricks to gain what they wanted, because no one really cared about the 'how' only the result.

I would have liked to think that things would have been different at Hogwarts, that I would be able to find someone who would befriend me even if I was horrible at Quidditch.

My thoughts halted as I saw something unexpected. There was someone else wandering the corridors, except she wandered them as if she were familiar with them. It was a Hogwarts student. The Beauxbatons students weren't particularly eager to explore the castle of Hogwarts either, believing their own school to be superior in every way.

The girl looked several years younger than he was. She was staring out through one of the windows. I couldn't tell what she was looking at, even when I walked up to stand behind her. There was only a light snow that had begun to fall. She didn't move as I approached, even though I was sure she knew I was there.

"Hello," I started uncertainly.

"Hello, Viktor Krum," the girl said, voice light and airy like she wasn't quite there.

"What are you looking at?"

"The Nargles called me out of bed to see the first snow. It's as beautiful and different every year," she said. "Oh, I'm being rude, aren't I? I'm Luna Lovegood."

Nargles? I wonder as I nodded in acknowledgement of learning her name. Her surname wasn't familiar to me, but that wasn't surprising: most families tended to stay in their respective countries. "The snow isn't that amazing. It'll probably be half-melted by the time it reaches the ground. There isn't any use to it. It only annoys people."

"That's the entire point of watching it. It's fragile, and beautiful because of the small chance that it will be seen. The same people who complain about the mess it makes are the ones who never notice leave their little worlds to see the perfection that comes before it," she said, eyes glancing momentarily towards me. "Not everything needs to have a use to exist."

I glance out the window again, trying to see the fragility she was seeing but I couldn't. All I could see was falling snow that would be useless in the morning; snow that would turn into water, then mud as I made my trek back to the Durmstrang ship later.

She sighed. It almost felt like she could read my thoughts as she said, "You're forgetting that not everything has a use, or a point. Sometimes things exist to simply exist then disappear moments after its creation. The first snow only happens once a year and most people miss it because they think it's ordinary."

I looked thoughtfully at her, considering her words, "I suppose it isn't that ordinary, but it's still only snow."

"Nothing is 'just' anything. It's always special to someone, even if other people take it for granted," she said, gaze returning to the snow outside.

I doubted anyone saw the snow in the same way she did. There was also no one who had turned their back to me in the middle of a conversation for several years either. It seemed like she wasn't one to gawk over a person because they were popular either. For a moment, I stood stunned at the easy dismissal from the younger girl.

"You should go, or someone is going to notice your absence soon," she said calmly, as if it were normal to know things she shouldn't. Luna Lovegood was definitely one of the strangest people I had ever met.

I nodded, but hesitated before I stepped away, wanting to say something. Anything.

I started walking away from the strange girl with only a murmur of thanks. There was nothing I could say to the strange girl that seemed to see what no one else could see.

Momentarily, I wondered if she had any friends at Hogwarts, then shook my head. She probably did, even with her eccentricities.

**Written for Muggle Studies Assignment 8: Factionless - write about someone who doesn't belong**

**A bit of an awkward encounter between Luna and Viktor XD**


End file.
